Washingtonians may soon know the answer to oft-asked question: What causes the changes – and, of more concern, the spikes – in gas prices?

Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna announced today that he is working with the Governor's office and the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development to investigate factors that influence gas prices in the state.

It will be the most comprehensive study of gas prices the state has done since 1991.

Kristin Alexander, spokeswomen for the Attorney General's office, said questions from consumes prompted the investigation.

"We consistently have questions from consumers asking why gas prices are higher than in Washington," Alexander said.

A gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline reached $3.18 in Tacoma today – the price is almost a record.

It matches the highest recorded price to date, which was on June 1, 2006, according to AAA of Washington. The average price in Washington today is $3.14.

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Ed Galligan, Port of Olympia executive director, stands by a fiberglass windmill blade delivered to the port last summer.

The Port of Olympia is once again receiving ships loaded with gigantic windmill blades headed for Northwest wind farms.

About 120 of the 125-foot long blades arrived in Olympia over the weekend. Manufactured in Brazil, the blades weigh 35,000 pounds each and will be stored in the port's cargo yard for a few weeks.

They are ultimately headed – via truck – for a wind farm in Oregon. The port handled its first windmill blades last year and has picked up more of the unusual cargo since. Another shipment of the blades is scheduled to arrive later this spring. They will go to a wind farm in Canada

The Motley Fool discusses today Amazon.com's quarterly earnings, which will be released on Tuesday. Here's part of the discussion:

In these few hours before we begin obsessing over a single bend, let's take a moment to review the whole length of the river. Our tool in this endeavor: Motley Fool CAPS, where we poll more than 27,000 investors for their views on well over 4,000 companies, Amazon.com among them. Here's what Fools have to say about the company.

Up or down?
More than 800 investors have submitted ratings on the company. The verdict: Amazon is all wet.

About six investors in 10 rate the company likely to outperform the market, a sentiment shared by both our best investors -- the CAPS All-Stars -- and the CAPS population at large. Seeing as most companies I've reviewed in this column score approval ratings upwards of 80%, it's little wonder that this less-favored firm gets just one star out of a possible five on CAPS.

A brand beloved by serious espresso drinkers has opened its first U.S. location, according to The Washington Post.

Illy chose to go inside the Marriott’s Renaissance M Street Hotel in D.C. (You can find Illy at other restaurants or coffee shops, but this is the company's first stand-alone store.) The Italian company set up the spot, called Caffe, much like you’d find it in Italy: a stand-up bar, no seating and sleek red-and-white décor, The Washington Post reported.

No word on subsequent Illy locations.

PC Magazine editors named the 10 most common passwords. If you recognize yours, you may as well hand over your wallet to the first person you see on the street.

And the winners are:

1. password
2. 123456
3. qwerty
4. 123abc
5. letmein
6. monkey
7. myspace1
8. password1
9. blink182
10. (your first name)

Airbus fired the first shot this week in the commercial airplane orderbook war with Boeing.

Malaysian budget airline AirAsiaX announced it is ordering 10 new Airbus A330-300 twin-jets with options for five more.

The airline said it expects delivery of the first of the popular wide-bodies beginning in the fall of 2008.

Meanwhile at Boeing, reports are circulating that Boeing and the airlines involved may reveal some of the names behind the 67 unidentified orders for Boeing 787 Dreamliners this week. Odds-on favorite is Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic, which has deferred prior orders for four-engine Airbus A340-500s and Airbus superjumbo A380s.

The super-efficient 787 would well fit with Branson's new earth-friendly airline image.

In second place in the rumor mill is American Airlines, which badly needs new-generation long-haul jets if it is to remain competitive in long-haul markets.

Tacoma-based Pierce Commercial Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of Pierce County Bancorp, has reported earnings for the first quarter of $1,085,000, an increase of $471,000 or 77 percent, as compared to the first quarter of 2006.

Further, loans were up $54 million, or 34 percent, as compared to March 2006; deposits increased $48 million, or 28 percent; and total assets rose $53 million, or 26 percent.

President and CEO Gary Gahan attributed the earnings to a sound local economy and robust loan demand.

In January, the bank began construction of a new commercial office building located directly behind their main office on South Union Avenue. The building will house the bank's Tacoma residential team and other departments, freeing space in the current facility for additional personnel.

The Small Business Technology Council, a council of the National Small Business Association, is seeking nominations for the eighth Tibbetts Awards. The awards, named for Roland Tibbetts – the person acknowledged as the father of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program – honors small firms, projects, organizations and individuals judged to exemplify the very best in SBIR achievement.

SBTC seeks nominees who show the economic impact of their technological innovation, business achievement and effective collaborations, and a demonstrated state and regional impact and proven support.

Winners will be recognized in October in Washington, D.C. Nominations are due Sunday, July 15, and can be submitted online at www.tibbettsawards.org.

The SBIR program has developed more than $21 billion worth of research by more than 15,000 firms – resulting in more than 45,000 patents. SBIR companies employ more than 400,000 scientists and engineers, making the program the largest concentration of scientific and engineering talent in the United States

For more information visit the Web site above.